Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

ANDROLOGY

Testosterone therapy and medical hysteria

A recent study has shown a decline in testosterone prescriptions since media reports of potential increased cardiovascular risk in 2014. The phenomenon of medical hysteria accounts for this reduced prescribing, as numerous subsequent studies provide substantial evidence of reduced cardiovascular risk and other important benefits with testosterone therapy for men with testosterone deficiency.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Prices vary by article type

from$1.95

to$39.95

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Fig. 1: The number of studies since 2015 reporting increased, decreased, or no difference (neutral) in MACE with testosterone therapy.

References

  1. Traish, A. M., Vance, J. C. & Morgentaler, A. Overselling hysteria: the role of the media and medical journals in promoting questionable risks-a case study of the testosterone controversy. EMBO Rep. 18, 11–17 (2017).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Vigen, R. et al. Association of testosterone therapy with mortality, myocardial infarction, and stroke in men with low testosterone levels. JAMA 310, 1829–1836 (2013); erratum 311, 967 (2014).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Baillargeon, J. et al. Testosterone prescribing in the United States, 2002-2016. JAMA. 320, 200–202 (2018).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Morgentaler, A. et al. Testosterone therapy and cardiovascular risk: advances and controversies. Mayo Clin. Proc. 90, 224–251 (2015).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Traish, A. M., Guay, A. T. & Morgentaler, A. Death by testosterone? We think not! J. Sex. Med. 11, 624–629 (2014).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Morgentaler, A. & Lunenfeld, B. Testosterone and cardiovascular risk: world’s experts take unprecedented action to correct misinformation. Aging Male 17, 63–65 (2014).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Miner, M. et al. The state of testosterone therapy since the FDA’s 2015 labelling changes: indications and cardiovascular risk. Clin. Endocrinol. (Oxf.). 89, 3–10 (2018).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. US Food and Drug Administration. http://www.fda.gov/fdac/departs/196_upd.html (Accessed 6 March 2007).

  9. Baillargeon, J. et al. Screening and monitoring in men prescribed testosterone therapy in the U. S., 2001–2010. Publ. Health Rep. 130, 143–152 (2015).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Morgentaler, A. et al. Fundamental concepts regarding testosterone deficiency and treatment: international expert consensus resolutions. Mayo Clin. Proc. 9, 881–896 (2016).

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Abraham Morgentaler.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

A.M. has received payments from Acerus for lecture honoraria, Aytu for consulting, and Endo for research grants.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Morgentaler, A. Testosterone therapy and medical hysteria. Nat Rev Urol 15, 659–660 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41585-018-0081-2

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41585-018-0081-2

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing